The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-26
AFTER THE EvICrIONs.
Scenes About the Homes of the Hazlebrook
Miners-Bow the Families Live.

Scenes About the Homes of the Hazlebrook
Miners-Bow the Families Live
Correspondence Philadelphia Press.
The miners still loiter in the street When
the correspondent entered Hazlebrook, to-day
they focked around him, and talked about the
evictions and the hardships that had been put on
James Lang "Dr. John" is the senior member
of the firm of j. S. Wentz & Co., and the Irish
landlord is the inside boss.
Come back to our fort. and we'll talk to yez, !"
said hearty voice. The visitor looked puzzled.
anG the speaker pointed to a squat brown point
ed house, stuck among the bran1bes on the hill
side 1t was the school-house, and thither the
way was led There hasn't been any teaching
in the school house since the strike began, nor is
there likely to be-. When the door was opened
m st curious scene in this most curious place
was revealed. The term fort which the miner
had applied to it, would hardly be fitting Com
mssary department would be more to the point.
The strikers were prepared for a siege, but 1t
was siege more against hunger than war.
mere glance will serve to show that the talk
of public sympathy with the men has not been
overdrawn. In one corner is a stack made of
bags of flour and meal The brand on each sack
is different, each must have come from a diff
ferent donor. The pile is higher than Hugh
O'Neilrs head, and he stands six feet three in
his mining boots. Scattered about the room are
more evidences of Luzerne county sympathy
with the unfortunate men. A barrel of molasses
had its place the broad bottomed stool the
teacher had occupied. Boxes of provisions of al
most every kind surrounded it. and the men said
more would probably come from whore they had
before they would starve.
What picturesque group they made AS they
gathered around to tell their story! One of them
was spokesman at first and later on the others
chimed in
You see," said the first speaker, "we would
not complain of being turned out if we had been
treated like We have been treated like
dogs. In the first place, before any miner can
get work here he has to sign an agreement that
gives the company ownership of him, body and
soul. Now let me point out thing or two We
can't buy except at the company's store. Wagons
u1n I'D 70 hryr, ir0o hat
would be competition. A man knows If he does
not buy at the store he can't work in the mine
milk wagon which served The store began
to sell condensed milk and the wagon was shut
out. They charged us % cents a can for con-
densed milk. The next nearest company store
dozen eggs sold for ST. and here we get but
five dozen They charge cents for oatmeal and
here we have to pay cents We have to pay 10
cents pound for meat. and the highest price at
Coxe's is IL and the lowest 6.
YES" chimed in another who had been listen
ing with open mouth. live meanly as posi-
BILE and only pay 81 rent, and it costs man and
two children the Oldest less than two years, $40
to $50 month to live"
And them said another. "he only buys meat
once week-on Saturdays"
That isn't all. went on the first speaker
you never get out of debt to the company.
Here is one of the accounts for March: The
work of the miner by contract amounted to
$269.0S There was balance due the company
from February of $98 Is. He was charged $13. 20
u, L.
coal, ST.. 80 a team. Sc for mine supplies and
$156. 40 for goods at the store. That leaves him
in debt just $73 OF. which, in my opinion. is
about the amount he was ovecharged at the
store"
There was much more talk of this kind, and
every insisted that there excuse
for the discharge of the engineer, Steel. 1t was
repeatedly charged that the action of the
pany was designed to break up the Knights of
Labor. The assert that Steefs work kept
him $50 feet underground at the pump and the
occurred
above to look after the steam-pipes. 1.-THE
trouble that he discharged for" said one,
occurred long before he went to the company
as committeeman and asked for more wages.
When he did that he had to 60"
Leaving behind in the school-room the ques-
ton of the causes of the strike, tour
made of the homes of the miners. The houses,
six in block, are so arranged of the ten
ants put it, that eff you knock out board at
each end you can walk clean through"
The rent ranges from 81 to Sc The
bosses and heads of gangs occupy the
higher priced houses. A 81 house at one end of
q block in the center of the town can be taken
fair example of dozen visited. The board
floor bent beneath the tread of the visitor; the
board sides shook at the pressure of the hand
There were cracks between the boards large
enough to put a lead pencil in from the outside
The inside had been papered by the tenant at
his own expense. There were cracks between
the edge OF the door and the jam quarter OF
inch wide. and at every point the snow could
beat in in winter and the rain in summer.
The upstairs rooms We're even worse. The
cracks between the boards were larger, and there
paper the walls. Under the caves be-
tween each rafter space large enough for
small-sized fist to be thrust through. The
upper room is used as sleeping apartment The
occupant said that the first blizzard last winter
covered the floor with snow an inch deep. and
after that it took 300 pounds of rags to make the
place proof against the drifting snow.
THE pain and misery suffered by those who
linda ihah In